Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.6LIKELY
Sadness
0.17UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.45UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.85LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.15UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.86LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.78LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
God Is at Work in Our World - Part 2
The Book of Acts - Part 44
Acts 13:21-41
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 1, 2014
BACKGROUND:
*In Acts 13, God sent Paul and Barnabas out from Antioch on the first mission trip to spread the good news about Jesus all over the world.
Miraculous things happened when they got to Cyprus in vs. 5 and began to preach "the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews."
One miracle was that God temporarily blinded an evil sorcerer for opposing the gospel.
But the greatest miracle was that Sergius Paulus, the ruler of the whole province was saved!
*Please listen to what happened next in vs. 13-23:
13.
Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John (Mark), departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
14.
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
15.
And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.''
16.
Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:
17.
The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
18.
Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.
19.
And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
20.
After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21.
And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22.
And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'
23.
From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus."
*As Paul began to preach in vs. 16-23, he spoke about how God had been at work in the people of Israel.
Last week, we saw God at work choosing His people, protecting His people, patiently leading His people, righteously judging all people, and in vs. 22, passionately seeking for His people.
*Tonight, we will finish Paul’s sermon and take a much closer look at the Lord’s saving work.
With this background in mind, let's begin by reading Acts 13:21-41.
MESSAGE:
*King Duncan told about a young man who lost his job.
He was getting desperate, so he went to see an old preacher he knew.
As he poured out his heart to the preacher, he angrily said, "I've begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher.
Why doesn't God answer?"
*The old preacher was sitting across the room, and he spoke a reply so quietly that the young man couldn’t make it out.
The young man stepped closer, and asked, "What did you say?"
The preacher then repeated himself, again too low to be heard.
And the young man moved closer, until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.
"Sorry," he said.
"I still didn't hear you."
Then the wise, old preacher softly replied, "Sometimes God whispers, so we will move closer to hear Him." (1)
*That time the young man heard, and he understood.
God wants to speak to us, but we must draw close and listen.
That's why when Paul began this sermon back in vs. 16, he said: "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen."
*Then Paul began to show them how God works in our world.
Tonight, we will finish Paul’s sermon, and take a close look at the saving work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. First: God is at work in our world through His revelation.
*God is at work the revelation of His promise about our Savior.
As Paul said in vs. 21-23:
21. "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22.
And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'
23.
"From this man's seed (i.e. from David's seed), ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE, God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus.
*Albert Barnes points us back to Psalm 89:3-4, where God said this about His promise to King David:
3. "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:
4. 'Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations.'"
*Then in Psalm 89:35-36, God reinforced His promise by saying:
35.
"Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David:
36.
His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me." (2)
*Before the beginning of time, God had a plan to save everyone who would put their trust in Him.
And because He is Almighty God, the Lord began to make unbreakable promises about how He would carry out His plan.
*Starting in Genesis 3:15, God began to reveal His plan in His Word.
But His revelation of salvation could not really be understood until Jesus came, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead.
Paul summed up this truth in Romans 16 with these great words of praise for God:
25.
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began
26. but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith
27. to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.
*How does God work in our world?
Through the revelation of His promise of salvation by His Son Jesus Christ.
That's why when Paul preached here in Acts 13, he spent much of his time on the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus.
For example,
*Down in vs. 32-37, Paul said:
32.
And we declare to you glad tidings, (how) that promise which was made to the fathers,
33.
God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus.
As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.'
34.
And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David.'
35.
Therefore He also says in another Psalm: 'You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.'
36.
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;
37. but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.
*God made an unbreakable promise about His coming Messiah, so every prophecy about Jesus either has happened or surely will happen in the future.
*Josh McDowell tells us that over 300 Old Testament references to the Messiah have already been fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
And that is mathematically impossible to have been a coincidence.
*Mathematician, Peter Stoner, ran the numbers on fulfilling not all 300, but just 8 of the 300 prophecies Jesus already fulfilled.
The odds against those 8 things coming true in any one life are 1 in 10 to the 17th power.
Church: I don’t know what you call that number, but it is a one with 17 zeroes behind it!
(3)
*It was mathematically impossible for Jesus to fulfill those 300 prophecies, unless He is the Messiah.
And thank God, He is! God is still at work right now through the revelation of His promise to send us a Savior.
2. He is also at work through His righteousness.
*God is at work through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
And we can appreciate the Lord's righteousness back up in vs. 23-25, where Paul said:
23.
"From this man's seed, (i.e. from David's seed) according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus
24. after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25.
And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'Who do you think I am?
I am not He.
But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.'"
*Now John the Baptist was a very good man.
In Matthew 11:11, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" That was great praise from the greatest judge of character in the universe.
But John the Baptist was talking about Jesus, when Paul quoted John in vs. 25.
And John the Baptist said, "Behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose."
*Just like the Baptist, we must appreciate the righteousness of Jesus Christ!
Our salvation required His righteousness, His supreme worthiness.
Without the Lord's righteousness, we could never have been saved.
Jesus never could have died for our sins, if He had sins of His own.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9